Inkjet printhead with butting printhead chips attached to common support web

Abstract

An inkjet printhead including: an elongate fluid manifold having a plurality of fluid outlets positioned longitudinally along a base of the fluid manifold, each neighboring pair of fluid outlets being separated by a support web; and a plurality of butting printhead chips arranged in a row and attached to the base of the fluid manifold, each printhead chip receiving a printing fluid from one or more fluid outlets. Each butting pair of printhead chips has respective butting end portions commonly supported by one of the support webs.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An inkjet printhead comprising:
 an elongate fluid manifold having a plurality of fluid outlets positioned longitudinally along a base of the fluid manifold, wherein neighboring pairs of fluid outlets are separated by support webs; and 
 a plurality of butting printhead chips arranged in a row and attached to the base of the fluid manifold, each printhead chip receiving a printing fluid from one or more fluid outlets, wherein each butting pair of printhead chips have respective butting end portions commonly supported by one of the support webs, said support web having a profile corresponding to the ends of the printhead chips. 
 
     
     
       2. The inkjet printhead of  claim 1 , wherein a total combined area of the fluid outlets is greater than a total combined area of the support webs. 
     
     
       3. The inkjet printhead of  claim 1 , wherein each support web occludes less than 10% of an area of ink supply channels defined in a backside of each printhead chip. 
     
     
       4. The inkjet printhead of  claim 1 , wherein each of the support webs supporting the butting end portions extends diagonally between ink supply slots. 
     
     
       5. The inkjet printhead of  claim 1 , wherein each printhead chip has a mid-portion between opposite end portions, the mid-portion being supported by one or more further support webs. 
     
     
       6. The inkjet printhead of  claim 5 , wherein a number of further support webs supporting the mid-portion of each printhead chip is from 1 to 10. 
     
     
       7. The inkjet printhead of  claim 1 , wherein each fluid outlet has a width of at least half a width of each printhead chip. 
     
     
       8. The inkjet printhead of  claim 1 , wherein a combined area of fluid outlets supplying ink to one printhead chip is at least half a total area of the printhead chip. 
     
     
       9. The inkjet printhead of  claim 1 , wherein the printhead chips are attached to the base of the fluid manifold via an adhesive film, the adhesive film having openings aligned with the fluid outlets.